Machine for forming, binding, and storing cigar-bunches.



No. 799,991. I PATENTED SEPT. 19, 1005. .A. S. KOCH.

MACHINE FOR FORMING, BINDING, AND STORING CIGAR BUNCHES. APPLICATION FILED APR.12,1906.

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No. 799,991. PATENTED SEPT. 19, 1905.

A. S. KOCH.

MACHINE FOR FORMING, BINDING, AND STORING CIGAR BUNGHES. APPLICATION FILED APR.12,1905.

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' Nb. 799,991. PATENTED SEPT. 19, 1905.

' A. s. KOCH, MACHINE FOR FORMING, BINDING, AND STORING CIGAR BUNGHES.

APPLICATION rmm APB..12,1905.

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Wfieasea e 2'07? M Vila? 1(0 No. 799,991. PATENTED SEPT. 19, 1905 A. s. KOCH. I MACHINE FOR FORMING, BINDING, AND STORING 91999 99190999.

APPLICATION FILED APR.12,1905.

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fizvemfoi? No. 799,991. PATENTBD SEPT. 19, 1905. A. s. KOGIL. MACHINE FOR FORMING, BINDING, AND STORING 0101111 1301101190 APPLICATION FILED APB.12.1905.

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Wifwamsa 1 JQL d/JUQ Z Y IINITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ALFRED S. KOCH, OF LANCASTER, PENNSYLVANIA.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 19, 1905.

Application filed April 12, 1905. Serial No. 255,159.

To all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, ALFRED S. KooH, a citi- Zen of the United States, residing at Lancaster, in the county of Lancaster and State of Pennsylvania, have invented new and useful Improvements in Machines for Forming,Bind ing. and Storing Cigar-Bunches, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in machines for forming cigar-bunches, applying binders to such bunches, and storing the bound bunches in molds until it is desired to apply wrappers thereto. 1

To the ends stated my invention consists in a machine embodying the elements and arrangement and mode of operation thereof, as hereinafter described, and set forth in the accompanying clauses of claim, and I claim the machine both generically and specifically, as well in respect of the machine as an entirety and in respect of the several novel subcombinations of mechanism.

In the accompanying drawings, illustrating my invention, Figure 1 is. a sectional side elevation, Fig. 2 a side elevation, Fig. 3 a front view, Fig. 1 a detail sectional view, and Fig. 5 a fragmentary perspective view, of the mold element of the machine. Fig. 6 is a detail of the mold-take-up mechanism. Figs. 7 and 8 are detail perspective views of the starting and stopping mechanism.

In the said drawings the reference-numeral 1 designates a base which may be of any suitable kind for supporting the several elements of the mechanism.

2 designates a table upon which the bunches are rolled and which is preferably supported from the base by brackets 3.

4 designates an apron in which the bunch is rolled disposed upon the table and at one end connected to a roller 5, carried by arms 6, attached to the table. The other end of the apron is connected to a take-up shaft 7, with which is associated a gear 8 and retaining-catch 9, the purpose of which take-up shaft is to admit of the apron being adjusted for the rolling of bunches of various sizes, said shaft being"manipulated to take up a portion of the length of the apron when a relatively small bunch is to be rolled and to give off apron when a relatively large bunch is to be rolled. In all instances the operative length of the apron is such that there is sufiicient material to form a bunch-pocket 10 of the required capacity. The bunch-rolling element, as illustrated, consists of a roller 11, journaled in arms 12, mounted for oscillation upon a shaft 13, supported in or on the base of the machine, and the apron 4 is trained over said roller, as shown in the drawings. The table 2 is provided at one end with a dished extension 14, into which the pocket-forming surface of the apron falls to form a bunch-pocket, as in Fig. l of the drawings. The binding material 15, of tobacco, is preferably and as shown in the form of a continuous web supported by a backing-strip 16, the said web of tobacco and backing-strip being wound into roll form upon a mandrel 17 journaled in bearings 18. The backing-strip 16 is trained about a guide-roller 19, supported in arms 20, connected to a vertically-movable carrier 21, and passes around a drum 22, mounted in extensions l of the base of the machine, thence to a friction-driven take-up roll 23, arranged in pivoted hangerarms 24, resting upon and frictionally driven by the drum 22 and capable of yielding upwardly, so that it may by gravity bear upon the drum 22 and yield upwardly as the strip 16 is wound thereon, to the end that the strip may be maintained under proper tension, held in a smooth condition, and rolled tightly and smoothly upon the roll 23. If desired, the hanger-arms 24' may be subjected to the influence of a spring 25.

In the particular example of my invention illustrated in the drawings the backing-strip, together with the web of tobacco associated therewith, is unwound from the supplyroll for the purpose of feeding the tobacco to the apron 4: by the action of the drum 22, which is rotated by means of an eccentric-link 26, connected to adisk '27, arranged on a countershaft 28, which link is connected to an angle crank-arm 29, journaled in the drum-shaft. The counter-shaft 28 is driven from a main power-shaft 59 by means of a gear-wheel 28,

meshing with a gear-wheel carried by the counter-shaft. The connection of the eccentric-link 26 with the crank-arm 29 is an adjustable one, as shown, whereby the degree of rotation of the drum at each th row of the eccentric may be varied to take up more or less of the backing-strip 16 and feed more or less of the tobacco to the hereinafter-described cutting mechanism and the apron, according to the size of the bunch it is desired to roll and bind. Intermittent predetermined motion is imparted to the drum by the arm 29 through the medium of a dog 30, connected to said arm and engaging a ratchet 31, the operation of the parts being obvious.

The continuous web of tobacco as it is fed l thereof until it is desired to wrap the bunches,

from the roll passes beneath a feed-roll 32, mounted for rotation in journal-brackets 33, formed with or connected to the carrier 21, which feed-roll engages the web oftobacco and feeds it forward,the backing-strip 16 leaving the web of tobacco at the guide-roller 19, where it takes abruptly a different path. As

the web of tobacco is fed forward onto the.

apron 4 it passes cutting mechanism, which, as shown, consists of stationary and movable knives 34, 35, by which binders of predetermined size are severed from the web.

In the preferred and illustrated arrangement shown in the drawings the carrier 21 is, as stated, pivoted so that said carrier and the elements supported'thereby may be moved away from the table 2 to afford passage for the bunching-roller in its sweep across the table in the act of rolling a bunch and in returning to initial position. This lifting of the carrier 21 is accomplished by means of a swinging lever 36,

connected to said carrier and pivoted upon one of the arms 12, in which the bunching-roller 11 is supported,whereby during thelmovement of the roller the carrier is lifted, as shown in Fig. 2 of the drawings, affording a passage for said bunching-roller.

The movable knife 35 of the cutting mechanism is pivotally connected by a link 37to the bracket-arm 1, and as the carrier is lifted it is withdrawn from the movable member and a predetermined length of web is fed between said knife members, and when the bunch-roller has assumed its initial position (illustrated in Fig. 1 of the drawings) the carrier will move to the table 2, the movable element of the cutting mechanism will advance to the stationary element thereof,and a binder of predetermined size be severed from the web and laid upon the apron in proper position to be wrapped about the bunch.

The bunching-roller 11 is operated to traverse the table 2 by means of crank-arms 38 38, connected, respectively, to the disk 27, and a shaft 13, on which the bunching-rollercarrying arms 12 are fixed, whereby rocking motion is imparted to said shaft in the revolution of the disk 27.

According to my invention the bunch-mold, hereinafter referred to and which constitutes a functionally-cooperative element in the organized machine, is physically disconnected from the machine, but is capable of being bodily moved through and discharged from the machine, suitable means for bodily moving the same through and discharging the same from the machine being provided. This bunch-storing mold as an entirety comprises a strip or base carrying 'a number of individual molds adapted to receive the bound bunches as they are delivered from the apron 4, embrace the same closely to maintain the shape of the bunches, and serve as a storage therefor while maintaining the proper shape at which time said bunches may be removed from the molds and wrapped by hand in any manner desired.

I do not restrict my presentinvention to the particular character of mold-strip carrying the series of individual molds otherwise than that it shall be a strip capable of being bodily moved through and discharged from the machine to perform its function. When discharged from the machine as intended, the mold-strip may be wound into a roll by a winding mechanism connected to the machine or not, as preferred. When it is not wound into a roll automatically by a winding mechanism connected to the machine, it may be taken in charge by an operator and wound into a roll or otherwise disposed for storage of the bunches, as may be'desired. The mold shown is not claimed herein per se, the same constituting the subject-matter of Letters Patent granted me on the 25th day of April, 1905, No. 788,478. This mold consists of a flexible strip 40, provided with a plurality of sets of mold-jaws 41, connected to said strip, each set of mold-jaws constituting an individual mold adapted to be opened to receive a bunch and closed about the bunch, and said strip .and mold-jaws are adapted to be wound into a roll, whereby the bunches may be stored in a compact space until it is desired to remove them for the purpose of applying wrappers thereto. In the preferred example of my invention the mold-strip is trained over a mold-opening device 42, situated in cooperative relation to the discharge end of the table 2, and is fed through and discharged from the machine by means of a spoke-gear 43, which means of feeding I have found satisfactory and preferable, but to which, in its broader aspect, I do not limit my invention. The said spokegear is arranged for rotation in a bearing 44, in this instance shown as carried by the arms 1 of the machine-base. The mold-opener 42 presents an angle 45, which operates between the bases of the jaws constituting the individual molds, and as said individual molds are successively turned upon said angle by the feeding device referred to opens said jaws away from each other to receive the bunch, as illustrated in Fig. 2. This mold-opener 42 is arranged in supports 46, connected to the machine-base, and is preferably rotatably mounted in said supports and provided with a plurality of angles 45. The advantage of having the opener 42 rotatable is that it can follow the pull of the feed device on the moldcarrying strip 40 and facilitate the feed.

After passing the opener 42 the molds pass onto a relatively straight or fiat bed 47,carried by the arms 46, and by reason of the pull of the feed device and the drag afforded by the succeeding series of molds the mold-jaws are closed about the bunches, as shown in Fig. 2. The spokes of the spoke-gear in performing the feeding function enter in between the filled molds and engage said molds, thus feeding the strip through and discharging the same from the machine, as best shown in Fig. 2 of the drawings.

Movement is imparted to the feed device intermittently by means of a pin 48 on the disk 27, which engages the end of the pushbar 19, provided at its other end with a dog 50, that engages the teeth of a ratchet 51, connected with the spoke-gear and by which the latter is moved step by step intermittently when the push-bar 19 is acted upon by the pin 18 at each rotation of the disk 27.

Preferably a guide device (shown as a wheel 52, having flanges between which the molds pass) is provided to direct the mold elements to the opener 42.

As hereinbefore stated, after the mold-strip is discharged from the machine it may be wound into roll form by winding mechanism connected to the machine or not, as preferred. When it is desired to wind it automatically into roll form by such winding mechanism, it will initially and manually be trained through the machine and connected to the winding mechanism, a suitable practical form of which is illustrated and will now be described.

The reference-numeral 53 designates a detachable spool provided with a stud 53, journaled in a member 53 of the machine-frame, and with a stud 53 coupled to a shaft 53 in such manner as to partake of the movement of said shaft, the connection, as shown and preferably, being effected by forming the stud 53 square or angular and fitting it in a similarly-formed socket 53 in the shaft 53 Rigidly carried by said shaft 53 is a pair of friction-disks 53 preferably leather-faced, which disks frictionally engage with a ratchet 53 loosely mounted on said shaft 53. The force of frictional engagement between said friction-disks and ratchet-wheel is adjustable by means of a nut 53. Loosely mounted on the shaft 53 is an arm 54. connected, by means of a pitman 55, with one of the arms 12, in which the bunching-roller is supported,

and connected with said crank-arm 5 1 is a dog 56 to engage the teeth of the ratchet and rotate the latter. Back movement of the ratchet is prevented by means of a lockingdog 57. The spool 53 is rotated intermittently and step by step at each return stroke of the bunching-roller after a new bunch has been formed and delivered to the mold 11. To compensate for the increased lineal distance which the flexible strip would otherwise move as the succeeding convolutions thereof are taken up by the spool because of uniform constant throw of the bunch-roller-earrying arms, it is essential that there be a slip movement which will permit this constant throw of said arms, and at the same time the spool 53 will take up only so much of the flexible mold-strip as is passed on thereto by the mold-strip-feeding device. The slip movement is accomplished by the provision of the means hereinbefore described, the ratchet partaking of a constant uniform rotation. The rotation of the ratchet-wheel is imparted to the spool through the medium of the friction-disks until-all slack in the flexible moldstrip is taken up by being wound upon the v spool, and when this has been accomplished the friction-disks slip on the ratchet-wheel, as will be obvious. It is designed that each cycle of operation of the machine shall be initiated or started by the operator and upon the completion of a cycle of operation that the machine shall automatically come to rest, and to accomplish this suitable starting and stopping mechanism is necessary. In the accompanying drawings I have illustrated a suitable mechanism for this purpose, to which, however, my invention is not limited. This mechanism includes aclutch, one member 68 of which is loosely mounted on the counter-shaft 28 and is constantly driven by the main powershaft 59. The other member 69 of the clutch is fixedly arranged upon said counter-shaft.

The numeral 66 designates a starting-lever, and a shifting lever, one end of which is engaged with the starting-lever and the other end of which is forked and straddles the fixed member 69 of the clutch. The hubs of both clutch elements are provided with recesses 7 O in one of which is arranged ,a springpressed bolt 71,normally held retracted within said recess by a dog 72 and adapted when released by said dog and when the recesses 7 O 7 0 come into alinement to be shot into engagement with the recess 7 O in the flxed member of the clutch, thereby coupling the two members of the clutch together, and when the clutch members are so coupled the counter-shaft 28 is driven from the main power-shaft 59. This sequence of operation is accomplished by the operator swinging -the starting-lever 66 by means of the handle 67 and releasing the shifting lever 65, the forked end of which drops, (being aided by a spring 73, if desired,) and a trip 74 thereon engages the nose of dog 72 and moves the latter out of engagement with the spring-bolt 71. When in the rotation of the clutch member 68 the recesses 70 7 0 come into alinement, the bolt 71 engages the recess 70* and the clutch is coupled, as before described, whereby the counter-shaft is driven from the main powershaft and rotation is imparted to the disk 27 and one cycle of operation of the various mechanisms of the machine is carried out. As soon as a cycle of operation is completed the clutch members are disconnected and the machine comes to rest. This is automatically accomplished by a lug 75 on the hub of the clutch member 69 arriving under the upper arm of the forked end of the shifting lever 65 lifting said fork, and then a cam-face of the trip 7 4 engages the end of the bolt 71 and withdraws it from the recess 70, thus disconnecting the clutch members, and the rotation of the shaft 28 ceases and the machine comes to rest and remains at rest until again started at the will of the operator in the manner before described. \Vhen the machine comes to rest, a pawl 76 drops into engagement with the disk 27 and prevents reverse rotation thereof. It will be observed that in this position of rest, as illustrated in Fig. 1, the bunch-pocket 10 of the apron has been formed. This is accomplished automatically by so connecting the crank-arms 38, which actuate the bunching-roller, that the bunching-roller will go the full limit of its return stroke and then partake of a slight forward movement sufficient to form the bunch-pocket 10, in which the operator may dispose the bunches and then start the machine.

If desired, the shaft 7, to which one end of the apron 4 is connected, may be mounted in arms 61, suitably pivoted to a branch 62 of the machine-base, which arms have extensions 63, associated with which is a spring 64, acted upon by an extension 38" of the crankarm 38, whereby the arm 61, carrying the shaft 7, will be drawn outward and draw taut upon the apron 4 to assist in discharging the bunches from the apron into the molds 4:1.

The several mechanisms of the machine are driven from the main shaft 59, on which is arranged a band-pulley 60, driven from any suitable source of power, which main shaft imparts motion to the counter-shaft28,as hereinbefore described, and motion is imparted to the various mechanisms of the machine from the disk 27 in the manner stated. The several parts are so timed in relation to each other that a suflicient portion of the continuous web of tobacco will be fed tomake a binder, said binder severed from the web by the cutting mechanism and deposited on the bunching-apron. The bunching-rollers will then sweep across the table 2, rolling the bunch and inclosing it in the binder. The bound bunches will be deposited in individual molds 4E1, which in the meantime will have been fed into proper position to receive the bunches and have been opened by the moldopening element, and the drum 53 will operate to take up the flexible mold-strip as it is passed on by the feed device and wind the same into roll form. When the entire moldcarrying strip is wound upon the spool, said spool, with the wound-up mold-strip, may be removed from the machine and laid away until it is desired to wrap the bunches, when an operator may in any suitable manner unwind the roll and remove the bunches therefrom and Wrap them. WVhile the bunches are held in the molds they become set. When a spool with a wound-up mold-strip thereon is removed'from the machine, a new spool is inserted into the latter and a new mold-carrying strip introduced into the machine.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim is 1. In a cigar-bunch machine, the combination with bunch-binding mechanism, of a bodily-movable strip provided with a series of molds, means for bodily moving the strip through and discharging the same from the machine, and means for opening the several molds to receive bunches.

2. In a cigar-bunch machine, the combination with abodily-movable strip provided with a series of bunch-molds, of means for bodily moving said strip through and discharging the same from the machine, means for opening the several moldsto receive bunches, and means for presenting bunches to be taken by said molds.

3. In a cigar-machine, the combination of a bodily-movable strip provided with a series of molds, means for bodily moving the strip through and discharging the same from the machine, and means for opening the several molds to receive bunches.

4. In a cigar-bunch machine, the combination of a flexible strip provided with a series of molds, means for feeding the strip through and discharging the same from the machine, and means for opening the several molds to receive bunches.

5. In a cigar-bunch machine, the combination with a series of bunch-molds, of means for feeding the said molds through the machine, means for opening the several molds to receive a bunch, means for presenting bunches to be taken by said mold, and means for winding the series of bunch-molds into a roll.

6. In a cigar-bunch machine, the combination with bunch-binding mechanism, of a series of bunch-molds, means for feeding said bunch-molds through the machine, means for opening the several molds to receive the bunches from the bunch-binding mechanism, and means for winding the series of bunchmolds into a roll.

7. In a cigar-bunch machine, the combination with bunch-binder-feeding mechanism, of means for inclosing bunches in said binders, a series of bunch-molds, means for feeding said bunch-molds through the machine, means for opening the several molds to receive the bunches from the bunch-binding mechanism, and means for winding the series of bunchmolds into a roll.

8. In a cigar-bunch machine, the combination with a bunch-binder-feeding mechanism, of means for inclosing bunches in the binders, a flexible strip carrying a series of bunchmolds, means for feeding said strip through and discharging the same from the machine, and means for opening the several molds to receive bunches from the bunch-binding mechanism. v i

'9. In a cigar-bunch machine, the combination with a bunch-binder-feeding mechanism,

of means for inclosing bunches in the binders, a flexible strip carrying a series of bunchmolds, means for feeding said strip through the machine, means for opening the several molds to receive bunches from the bunchbinding mechanism, and means for Winding the series of bunch-molds into a roll.

10. In a cigar-bunch machine, the combination with a flexible strip carrying a series of bunch-molds, of means for feeding the said strip through and discharging the same from the machine, means for opening the several molds to receive a bunch, and means for presenting a bunch to said molds.

11. In a cigar-bunch machine, the combination with a flexible strip carrying a series of bunch-molds, of means for feeding said strip through the machine, means for opening the several molds to receive bunches, means for presenting bunches to said molds, and means for Winding the several bunch-molds in a roll.

12. In a cigar-bunch machine, the combination with bunch-binding mechanism, of a flexible strip carrying a series of bunchmolds, a

mold-opener, means for feeding the moldcarrying strip across the mold-opener, and means for delivering bunches from the bunchbinding mechanism to said molds.

13. In a cigar-bunch machine, the combination With bunch-binding mechanism, of aflexible strip carrying a series of bunch-molds, an angular mold-opener, and means for feeding the mold -carrying strip across the moldopener.

14. In a cigar-bunch machine, the combination with bunch-binding mechanism, of aflexible strip carrying a series of bunch-molds, an angular rotatable mold-opener, and means for feeding the mold-carrying strip across the mold-opener. I

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

ALFRED s. KOCH.

Witnesses:

LEONARD L. LEWIS, LoYD C. KOCH. 

